Understanding the Complex Lives of Our Transgender Community

Independent.com – by Michael Seabaugh

Sexual Healing in Santa Barbara

On a shimmering bright day in Los Olivos, I sat in the conference room of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the same church President and Mrs. Reagan attended when they were staying at their Refugio Canyon ranch. I couldn’t help wondering what they might have thought of this eclectic group sitting around the table. Gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, transgender people — men and women who worked as psychologists, academics, community organizers, and mental health professionals, and other interested citizens — had all been invited here by UCSB and the Pacific Pride Foundation to consider a most serious question: Were those whose sexual identifies fell outside the dominant culture finding adequate help in Santa Barbara?